


Nothing is U

by Atrokiss



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drug Use, Established Relationship, Fluff, High School, M/M, Modern Era, Recreational Drug Use, bro....pass the juul....bro.., just...good stuf..theyre so happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 11:33:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18940084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atrokiss/pseuds/Atrokiss
Summary: mac and dennis juuling under the bleachers (modern high school au)sorry had to be done :/





	Nothing is U

**Author's Note:**

> more of them being cute and in love together bc i have no self control nd i love projecting! they juul idk man
> 
> based on [this](https://saintmilksteak.tumblr.com/post/185085775982/2019-highschool-au-mac-and-den-juuling-together) post >:)
> 
> the song theyre listeing to/the title of this is Nothing is U by the Bleachers!!! (thank u [@ptsunnydee](https://ptsunnydee.tumblr.com) on tumblr for that suggestion hehe)

The afternoon was gentle and easy, a subtle heat was buzzing through the darkening sky, and somewhere in the long patches of unmowed grass there was the staccato trill of crickets humming alongside the shouts of the cheerleaders echoing way off in the center football field. Above their chanting was the small sound of a drum beat muffled by headphones that were turned up too loud. Mac was sprawled out in the grass under the bleachers, his head resting on his bag that contained only a change of clothes for later that night at Charlie’s. 

He had his phone held up close to his face, going through his music library and switching back and forth between two songs, undecided on which ones he liked best. A text from a contact labeled, “big nerd” appeared on his screen. A pleasant smile fell across Mac’s face as he read it, clearing the notification and going back to his music. 

A few moments later there was a sneaker colliding with his side with Dennis’ voice following the limb. “Way to answer my text dude,” he said. Mac looked up from his phone and smiled widely, sitting up and making room for Dennis on his makeshift headrest. 

“Hello you big nerd,” he said sweetly, that wicked smile only getting wider when he saw how mad it made Dennis. 

“You really aren’t going to let me live that down huh. I had fitness testing today, okay? I couldn’t compromise my lungs.”

Mac dug through his pockets and pressed a Juul to his lips, blowing thick clouds of sickeningly sweet smelling vapor into Dennis’ eyes. “It’s just water vapor bro,” he said.

Dennis coughed and took the Juul from him. “Uh huh,” he grumbled, inhaling deeper and longer and blowing an even bigger cloud right back into his face. He winced a little at how sweet the flavor was, Mac always liked the fruity ones but to be honest Dennis couldn’t stand it. 

Mac waved the clouds away and went back to his phone, ignoring how he could feel Dennis’ eyes watching his screen. He watched him in silence for a few moments, just listening to the cheerleaders shout way out in the center field, and to the static sounds of a fast tempo high hat coming through Mac’s headphones. Dennis reached out his hand, silently asking for one of them which Mac wordlessly obliged, never taking his eyes from the screen. 

“Who is this?” Dennis asked, leaning his head further back against Mac’s backpack, crossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes.

“Bleachers,” Mac answered, tapping his thumb against the side of his phone as he added the song to a playlist. Dennis leaned in closer to see the name of it, saw it was called something like, “hangin’ w u.” Dennis rolled his eyes and tried to suppress a mile wide smile cascading over himself. 

“You have weird taste,” he commented. 

Mac frowned at him, his expression slowly turning into a pout. “Awe, No need to insult yourself like that, Den.” That earned him a well deserved elbow to the ribs, “Whatever bro, at least I’m not still listening to fuckin’ Rick Astley or some shit.”

“Mac we are gay, we are supposed to like eighties music.”

“Yeah but not that kind of eighties music,” Mac argued.

“I’m not listening to you since you listen to dudes named, Sure Jan Stevens.”

“Oh my God dude, for the last time it’s Sufjan Stevens. Try harder please.” Mac scoffed when Dennis made a face at him, sticking his tongue out to which Mac met with the roll of his eyes, “God, you are insufferable,” he said and Dennis just shrugged.

It didn’t really matter what they were listening to because truthfully, Dennis just liked being there with Mac, sitting side by side in their spot watching the tail ends of the day go by. 

Dennis shifted so that his head was resting against Mac’s shoulder, slowly lowering his hand to rest down by his side in the grass. Mac saw this from the corner of his eyes, didn’t say anything or make a spectacle of it. He just lowered his own hand to meet him in the middle and took it, laced their fingers together without asking anything else of the moment. Dennis’ heart was hammering in his chest with the thrill of it, awed that even after all this time holding Mac’s hand still made him nervous. 

A lot was changing. Next year Dennis would be at college and Mac would be here, getting a job somewhere as a mechanic or something like that. They talked about it sometimes, pondered about the days after the bleachers and the widely endless afternoons spent together. Dennis felt Mac’s thumb tapping against his hand to the rhythm of the song, bringing him back and centered in the moment again. This wonderful, blindingly brilliant person sitting right there beside him, staring blissfully unaware at his phone while he was making playlists for the two of them.

“But as for me I've waited, longer than I've been clear, and I can't keep it clean anymore. Since nothing has changed me quite like you,” came the words to a song Mac had added to one, and Dennis felt his heart swell with the notion that the song was about them

He’d been staring for too long apparently because now Mac was looking at him too. For a moment Dennis worried if he could see the sentimentality ringing through him like that drum inside his headphones.

“What?” Mac asked, chuckling softly, looking at Dennis like he was ridiculous and perhaps he kind of was.

“Nothing has changed me quite like you.”

Dennis just shook his head and laughed. He quietly untangled their hands and leaned over him a bit, placing a hand on his cheek as he held him still for a moment, searching his face to try and catch the way he glowed pink in the late afternoon light. Dennis leaned in to kiss him slowly and tenderly, like it could say all of the thoughts in his head for him. The headphones were still in and the song was coming to a crest, peaking with the rise and fall of their breaths. “No, nothing, nothing, nothing. Nothing is you.”

“Hi,’ Mac said when he pulled away, his thumb trailing along the sides of Dennis’ cheek as though he needed to touch him to make sure he was really there.

“Hi,” Dennis said back with laughter that was light and illuminated by young love. Dennis fell back into his spot on the backpack, taking Mac’s hand again and entwining it with his own. He grinned up at the metal structures of the bleachers, the criss crossing of rods all tangled up beneath the aluminum seats.

“So what was that for?” Mac finally asked, turning his head to watch Dennis stare dreamily at the empty space above.

“Nothing,” he replied smugly. “You just looked like a nerd making that playlist so I thought I’d redeem you by reminding you that at least you aren’t single.”

“Hey,” Mac grumbled, “I’m making this playlist for you asshole.” He turned the phone off in defeat and let Dennis fit himself in closer to the crook of his shoulder, just sitting in the quiet moment of them and the music and the soft sounds of their school year coming to a close. 

“You losers still comin’ over tonight?” came a voice from the grass. Charlie stood a few steps away with his hands stuffed in his pockets, eyeing the two of them like he expected them to get up. Mac and Dennis looked at him but made no moves to stand until Charlie pulled out his Juul, inhaling sharply and letting the clouds roll from his mouth. Dennis stumbled upright to grab it from him before he could put it away. 

“What the hell bro I thought you weren’t Juuling anymore,” Charlie whined, letting him have a hit. 

“Nah,” he said around an exhale. “I ran out of juice,” he breathed, handing it back to Charlie.

Mac looked over at him in the midst of shouldering on his backpack, raising an eyebrow. “I thought it was ‘cos you had fitness testing.”

Dennis looked at him with eyes like a deer caught in the light of his lie. “I uh, well yeah I did but—” he sighed in defeat. “Look Mac, dude, I’m sorry but the fruit flavor is just so nasty—”

“What the hell!” he cried, more offended by Dennis not liking his flavor of vape than he’d been at him insulting his music taste or calling him a nerd.

“I’m sorry, it’s just the mint one is so much better and Charlie has—”

Mac huffed angrily, cutting him off, “You’re boyfriend is supposed to be supportive of you, not insult your flavor of choice, bro what the hell what even is this relationship.”

Dennis scoffed and looked to Charlie for a rational voice. Charlie just rolled his eyes at the two of them, refusing to get in the middle of it. “We can argue about Juul flavors in the car man, let’s just go I wanna get drunk.” 

It seemed Charlie was making it his mission to be as inebriated as possible every day for the last week of school, like he didn’t really want to remember it at all. So he dragged Dennis by the arm towards his car and let Mac follow, laughing and grumbling at the two of them still bickering the whole way there. Mac eased up a little when Dennis let him play his music in the car and Charlie let him have a hit of his Juul so he could see what cool mint was all about. He reluctantly enjoyed it, rolled down the windows and let loose big clouds of it pluming out of the passenger's side of the Dennis’ car. 

Dennis looked over at Mac; this wonderful, blindingly brilliant person with his smile catching the last of the dying sunlight stretched out over the road in front of them. Dennis caught glimpses of his two best friends in his mirrors and his peripheral, stole glances of them laughing and smoking and he felt something in his chest burst with the sight. Mac’s hand found its way back into Dennis’ again, giving his a squeeze every now and again. 

Mac felt it a privilege to be there with his boyfriend and his best friend, listening to a playlist he’d made of songs that reminded him of Dennis, feeling lucky to able able to listen to them with him and to live out those moments he was reminded of again and again and again. He couldn’t help but know what a privilege it was to love and be loved. 

The music and their laughter carried outside their car at a stop light. Mac was singing along loudly and out of tune, Charlie joined in trying to somehow find a harmony with whatever key Mac was inventing. They were burning fast and bright and they didn’t want to stop. They would get to Charlie's house and drink until that light within themselves softened a little. Mac and Dennis would find each other together in a heap on Charlie’s floor, Dennis curled up into his chest and Mac’s arm tucked around him. Mac would sleep on his Juul and break it, he would cry about it in the morning but tonight they had this and they had each other. They had Mac’s playlist still playing softly through a set of broken speakers, the static hum filling the quiet spaces of Charlie’s room where nothing else could be heard but their bodies and breaths lying gentle and easy in their sleep


End file.
